Safety-foot for ladders.



G. W. MORRISON.

SAFETY FOOT POR LADDERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16, 1914..

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

'Ir-Wg. 8

atto m13 x fea@ if: mais@ Lreemeavsmrs sArErr-Foorron specification of Letters Patent: 1i' "applicafimea april 1e, laid?"'llnzsigztisl i Be it known that I, GEORGE W. MORRISON, a` citizen of the United States, resident of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Safety-Feet for Ladders; and I vdeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention as applied to a ladder. Fig. 2 is a front View ofthe invention. F ig. 3 is a side view of the same. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 isa detail bottom plan view of the rubber pad.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved foot or bearing for ladders designed ior use upon ice or slippery places, and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth. K

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 2, indicates the end portion` of a ladder rail, to which the foot is designed to be connected by means of a bolt 3, passing through the rail, and through perforations 4, in the oblique, -elongated ears 5, of the foot frame or casting 6. These ears are parallel and extend upward in somewhat oblique fashion so as to correspond with the angle of the ladder rail in medium leaning position against a wall. The edges 7, 7, of each ear are both inclined in the same direction or inward toward the wall, from the bottom line of the base 8, and the breadth of the ear is about one-half its height and less than the distance from the base bottom to the bolt hole 4. In the base is formed an oblong rectangular recess or seat 9, through the lateral walls of which are made perforations 10, for transverse bolts 12.

Seated in the recess 9, is the upper part 13, of an oblong rubber foot or pad14, said upper partbeing reduced to lit the recess above a rectangular shoulder 15, which extends around the foot, and is usually slightly beveled outward from the reduced upper part 13 to facilitate adjustment to uneven surfaces and provide for elastic compression. The lower edge .of the wall of the i ifeessedbaseistlesigned t'o bear'lagaiiisttlie -1`nn"e'1"` angle of this shoulder, which is outwardly separated from said base to provide a working interval for the elastic foot. The reduced upper portion 13, is solid, and through 1t are made transverse holes 16, for the bolts 12, which secure the rubber foot rmly to the casting or base piece 6, yet` so that, on removal of the bolts, it can be read` ily detached for removal or repair.

The lower and larger part 18, of the rubber foot, is provided, underneath, with transverse inclosed recesses 19, more or less angular in cross section, said recesses being severally. inclosed and separated by intervening ribs 20, the recesses and ribs being inclosed within'the lower flat margin 21, of the rubber foot, said fiat margin being normally in the horizontal plane, and flush with the bottoms of the interior ribs 20, of the foot recess. Pressure on the ladder is designed to transmit, through its rails and the foot casting elastic pressure to the bevel shouldered portion of the rubber foot, so as to compress the recessed lower portion and cause it, through. consequent reaction and suction or air pressure, to take hold of assmooth or icy pavement or surface in such wise as to hold the ladder securely in position, at whatever angle it may be set. And,

because of the narrow lateral spread of the foot, and the prevention of lateral rocking by the transverse bolts, the ladder can be 'readily deached from the pavement or surface when necessary for its removal. As the breadth and width of the foot approximate these dimensions of the ladder rail, undue obstruction is avoided in piling and sliding ladders one upon another,`as is often necessary in the use of these articles in the fire department of a city.

The angular relation of the foot to the ladder rail when in leaning position, is designed to facilitate the use of the narrow foot, as the adjustment of the ladder to different angles can be made while keeping the line of pressure within the base.

I claim: y

In a ladder foot, an oblong bottom-recessed base having lateral, vertical, parallel ears provided with edges inclined in the same direction from the bottom line .of the base, and a shouldered rubber pad having a solid perforated upper portion engaging the recess of said base, a circumscribing out- -f Patented Sergi;

ward und downward sloping shoulder anguparallel bolts for connecting the ladder, the larly engaging the wall o saidv recess, to pad and the base. 10 provide a working interval, and anelongated In testimon whereof I aix my signature, lower portion having a series of separately in presence o two Witnesses.

nclosed bottom recesses having marginal f GEORGE W. MORRISON. separating ribs within an inclosing wall, Witnesses:

said wall and ribs having their bottom edges WARREN II. SIMMONS,

in the same horizontal plane, and transverse JACKsoN PALMER. 

